Market coordination and the making of conventions: qualities,consumption and sustainability in the agro-food industry

Abstract

The coordination of activity across sites and spaces of production and consumption is a key concern for economic analysis. Joining a revival in the application of convention theory to agro-food scholarship, this paper considers complementary insights – related principally to ‘the economy of qualities’ – that animate different aspects of e/valuation, competition and alignment. These understandings are extended by more thoroughly acknowledging contemporary developments in consumption scholarship. The arguments are advanced through a case study of the orange juice market, linking its current high-carbon trajectory to the commercial and cultural significance of freshness. The analysis offers new insights into distributed processes of qualification as well as the mechanisms through which conventions are assembled and sustained. Finally, a more integrated approach to food production and consumption is outlined.     

Pussy Riot as agent provocateur: conspiracy theories and the media construction of nation in Putin's Russia

This article studies the impact of conspiracy theories on post-Soviet Russian nation-building through the analysis of how the Pussy Riot trial was constructed by the Russian media. Conspiracy theory as a phenomenon is defined as a populist tool for relocation of power among different political actors, which creates identities and boosts social cohesion. This interpretation of conspiracy theories helps investigate how the media constructed the image of Pussy Riot and their supporters as a conspiring subversive minority, which threatened the Russian nation. The ability of conspiracy theory for swift social mobilization helped the authorities to strengthen the public support of its policies and model the Russian nation as ethnically and religiously homogeneous.     

(Neo-)extractivism – a new challenge for development theory from Latin America

This paper addresses new challenges and identifies starting points for development theory following recent debates in Latin America on ‘new or neo-extractivism’. It focuses on the concept of neo-extractivism and the context of its emergence, and on the changing role of the state. Looking at a number of social economic indicators, we find that, even after considering differences between countries, (neo-)extractivism is not merely a temporary economic strategy in the region. Instead, it exhibits features of a consolidated development project. Empirical evidence from the region shows the fundamental implications of resource-based development paths in politics, social relations and territorial orders. To grasp these implications conceptually, we argue for a shift in theoretical perspectives related to the link between development and resource extraction. Key elements for such a shift are to be found in recent studies in rentier theory and politics and new approaches in the field of political ecology.     

Implementing IFRS in Local Government: Institutional Isomorphism as NPM Goes Mad?

Abstract

The impact the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) has on business has been considered by various authors, such as Jones and Higgins (2006 Jones, S. H. and Higgins, A. D. 2006. Australia's switch to international financial reporting standards: a perspective from account preparers'. Accounting and Finance, 46: 629–652. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). However, there has not been the same research conducted with respect to local government. As Australia and New Zealand are leading the world by being the first to introduce IFRS into local government financial reporting, this study is timely in order todetermine the impact of compliance on local government. With the New Public Management (NPM) introduced in the late 1970s, accrual accounting and the desire to enhance transparency became embedded in financial reporting across the world. The paper adds to the growing literature on institutional theory with results of the study suggesting that a form of coercive isomorphism is present in regards to local government compliance with IFRS. It also suggests that the philosophy behind NPM – especially that espousing the benefits of public sector reporting in a private sector vein–may not be as relevant to Australian local government as the policy makers would have us believe. The thrust to implement IFRS may have finally pushed local government into a world they struggle to cope with. For example, findings indicate that there is now, more than ever, a perception in the community that the bottom line is an important indicator of a council's performance. Results reported here determined that the implementation process was time-consuming and costly with, in general, very little perceived benefit. Councils are conforming to the coercive pressure from legislative bodies, but they are not converging as part of the ‘transaction-neutral’ reporting regime.     

Using the personal influence model to guide theory building for participatory communication in Africa

Abstract

This article argues that the personal influence model (PIM) be used strategically to resolve conflicts and social crises in Africa. It presents PIM as a complementary, analytic discourse to participatory communication, a development paradigm commonly used globally in a variety of social programs. That discourse, as a framework for theory building, is grounded in Africa's emerging and enduring realities: (a) the growing interest of the international community to assist Africa to meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, whose focus is to reduce extreme poverty by 2015; (b) the ephemeral nature of Africa's political and social stability that necessitates reducing fear, improving community security, nurturing public trust, and building inter-group relationships, all as preconditions for attaining social development, and for using a community-agency- contracts-partnerships approach to deliver development services; and (c) the palpable congruence of PIM with Africa's extensive social networks, which are typically used as communication tools for social development. Those realities guide four propositions that serve as a heuristic template for testing and refining the participatory approach, thereby guiding theory building in participatory communication in African communities. That template identifies an expansive three-concept research agenda – culture, community governance and rule of law, and economic freedom – that raises questions, defines concepts, measures key variables, and assesses outcomes.     

Connectivity

Abstract

The concept ‘connectivity’ is most widely used in communication technology, referring to the linkage between electronics, computers, computer systems and the people who use them, but it is also a heuristic concept with great utility in the broader discipline of Communication and beyond. This article traces the concept from its theoretical origins in information science to the core position that it holds in all traditions of the Communication discipline. It assesses the physiological, psychological and sociological dimensions of connectivity and considers the application of the concept as an instrument for understanding and resolving the problems, issues and opportunities of the world around us. The article ends with some insights into the practical utility of the concept in the spheres of social and institutional development, productivity, performance and the generation of competitive advantage.     

Introduction: South Africa's multiple languages in a shifting media environment

Abstract

The global South, as the collective for the peripheries of mainstream development is known, is often regarded as merely a beneficiary of Northern-borne notions in the field of organisational communication. The problem is that the Southern context and circumstance do not always mirror those of the North, meaning that these dominant, revered theories are not necessarily applicable. One Southern context is that of the South African mining and construction industries, which is seen as notoriously dangerous, plagued by various obstacles to internal organisational communication (such as illiteracy and diversity), and what Le Roux and Naudé (2009, 29) refer to as ‘historical baggage’. The research question of this article is whether congenital Northern communication theories can be adequately incorporated into the unique global South, in order to fulfil the important task of communicating safety information to employees. The article explores the appropriate implementation of the principles of the excellence theory, the stakeholder theory as well as the relationship management theory, and the research methodology includes interviews, focus groups and quantitative questionnaires at two organisations. The result of the empirical research is the amalgamation and reworking of these theories’ principles into a model for internal safety communication applicable to the South.     

Teaching law in Scotland

ABSTRACT

The theory of threshold concepts has become a popular way to describe the difficulties students face when trying to grasp fundamental ideas in a discipline. In law authors have suggested a range of concepts as thresholds. However these suggestions conflict with each other, and have not emphasised the way in which students repeatedly encounter such thresholds. Using variation theory and the concept of knowledge capability this article suggests that the Threshold Capability Integrated Theoretical Framework may be a way to resolve those differences and to highlight the ongoing nature of liminality in becoming a professional. Students may grasp initial threshold concepts early in a degree or subject, develop the ability to manipulate and use them in a variety of settings towards the end of the degree, and develop a lifelong professional ability to use them in diverse settings after graduation. Law students, lawyers and indeed law teachers may be best seen as in a constant state of learning. The uncertainty that goes with that learning is to be embraced, and encouraged as part of the way we teach law.     

领导干部政绩评价主体的系统构建——利益相关者理论视角

由于评价主体的利益相关性和价值取向差异性,评价主体的组成及权重分配对领导干部政绩评价结果有强烈的影响。因此,系统地构建领导干部政绩评价的主体体系,是领导干部政绩评价工作的重要课题。从利益相关性的角度,选择不同的评价主体,设定不同的权重系数,建立科学的政绩评价主体体系,对于全面、客观、公正、准确地考核评价领导干部,坚持科学发展观、树立正确的政绩观具有重要意义。     

大学生思政课教学效果提升研究

在教学过程中,一名大学思政课老师应当针对教学对象特点真正把学生当作教学主体,用理论掌握学生,创新教学方式,开创第二课堂,说理透彻,以理服人,以身作则,紧扣社会热点,贴近学生实际,取得了良好的教学效果。为了进一步提升思政课的教学效果,思政课教学要树立正确的教育目的,思政课老师要着重培养学生的独立思考能力和独立人格,注重启发教育,改革考试内容和形式,加强实践环节教学。